If you're filing as a resident alien after passing the substantial presence test, don't forget about FBAR requirements! If you had foreign bank accounts with a combined total of over $10,000 at any point during the year, you need to file an FBAR (FinCEN Form 114). This is separate from your tax return and has really steep penalties if you miss it.

This is such a common situation that catches so many former international students off guard! I went through the exact same thing a couple years ago. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure you understand the "closer connection" exception. Even if you pass the substantial presence test, you might still be able to file as a nonresident if you can demonstrate that you have a closer connection to your home country than to the US. Since you moved back to your home country in August 2024, you might qualify for this exception for the portion of the year you were back home. You'd file Form 8840 (Closer Connection Exception Statement) to claim this. It considers things like where your permanent home is, where your family lives, where your personal belongings are, etc. Also, regarding software - yes, you can generally use regular tax software like TurboTax now, but be careful because most mainstream software isn't great at handling the dual-status alien situation or treaty benefits. The specialized services mentioned above might be worth considering given your specific circumstances with the scholarship income and the mid-year move back home.

This whole thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm also dealing with RSU confusion, but from a slightly different angle. My company switched from Morgan Stanley to Fidelity mid-year, so I have RSU transactions split across two different brokerages. What's been driving me crazy is that the withholding calculations seem to be different between the two platforms - Morgan Stanley was withholding at 22% while Fidelity is withholding at 24%. I'm assuming this is because my total compensation pushed me into a higher supplemental withholding bracket partway through the year? Has anyone else dealt with mid-year brokerage switches for RSUs? I'm worried about having to reconcile documents from two different sources when tax time comes around. Should I expect to receive separate 1099-B forms from both brokerages, and will my W-2 still show all the combined withholding regardless of which platform handled each vesting event? The advice about checking paystubs and getting detailed reports from the stock plan administrator is gold - I'm definitely going to request that breakdown to make sure everything from both brokerages is properly reflected in my W-2.

This thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm dealing with RSU tax confusion at my company that uses Schwab, and reading through everyone's experiences has finally helped me understand what's been going wrong with my tax tracking. Like many others here, I was frantically searching through my Schwab statements for withholding information that simply doesn't exist there. The lightbulb moment came from @defef4c9b885's explanation about the two separate tax events - vesting (income tax) vs selling (capital gains). I've been treating it as one combined transaction when they're actually completely separate from a tax perspective. I just went back and checked my paystubs from my RSU vesting dates, and there it is - clear line items showing "Equity Income" and corresponding tax withholding that I completely overlooked before. All of that withholding is indeed rolled up into Box 2 of my W-2, not hidden somewhere in my brokerage statements. For anyone else struggling with this, the key insight I'm taking away is: your EMPLOYER handles the income tax piece through normal payroll (which shows up on your W-2), while your BROKERAGE only handles the stock sale transactions (which shows up on your 1099-B). They're separate systems that don't directly communicate with each other, which is why the withholding info isn't on your brokerage statements. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community really helped me avoid what could have been a very stressful tax season!

I work at a tax prep office and can share some insider info - H&R Block releases new promotional codes throughout tax season, but they're usually tied to specific marketing campaigns or partnerships. The codes that work best are usually: 1) Military/veteran discounts (these rarely expire), 2) Student discounts through .edu email verification, 3) Partner codes from banks, credit unions, or employers, and 4) Social media flash codes they post on their official accounts. One thing most people don't know is that if you're filing multiple state returns, you can often get a bundle discount by calling their sales line directly. They have quotas to meet and will sometimes negotiate, especially later in tax season. Also, if you're already deep into your return like you are, try reaching out to their chat support and explaining you're a returning customer who's comparing prices with competitors. They often have "retention codes" they can apply to keep you from switching to another service.

For retention codes, I've found it works best to be specific but not aggressive. Something like "I've been using H&R Block for 3 years but I'm seeing TurboTax advertised at $X less for the same filing level. Is there any discount you can offer to match that price?" Usually gets better results than just saying you're shopping around. For bank/credit union partnerships, it depends. Some require you to start from their website (like chase.com/taxes or whatever), while others just give you a standalone code you can use directly. Check your credit union's website under "member benefits" or "partner discounts" - that's usually where they list tax prep deals. One more tip from our office: if you're filing late in the season (after March), they often have "tax deadline rush" promotions that can be better than the early season codes. H&R Block would rather get your business at a discount than lose you to a competitor entirely.

Had the exact same thing happen to me last month! The control number is also sometimes called a "DLN" (Document Locator Number) if you hear them use that term. It's basically how they organize and track your specific case in their massive system. If you ever lose the paper notice, you can also call the IRS directly and they can give you the control number over the phone as long as you can verify your identity. Just make sure to write it down somewhere safe since you'll likely need it multiple times throughout the review process!

Just went through this same situation a few weeks ago! The 14-digit control number is super important - it's like your unique case ID that connects all your documents and correspondence with the IRS. If you can't find it on your CP05 notice, also check any other letters they sent you like CP75 or CP79 notices. Sometimes they reference the same control number across multiple mailings. Also heads up - if you're working with a tax professional, make sure they have this number too since they'll need it if they call on your behalf. The whole review process is stressful enough without having to hunt for paperwork every time they contact you!

This 1099-K situation is such a headache! I'm dealing with something similar but with Stripe instead of PayPal. I received a 1099-K from Stripe for $15,000, but only about $8,000 of that came from clients who also sent me 1099-NECs. The other $7,000 was from smaller clients who didn't send separate forms. My question is: for the clients who didn't send 1099-NECs, do I still need to worry about double reporting? It seems like the Stripe 1099-K might be the only record of those payments. Also, has anyone had luck getting payment processors to amend their 1099-K forms when there are date discrepancies? I'm wondering if it's worth the hassle or if I should just follow the constructive receipt rule that Sean mentioned. The whole payment processor reporting system really needs to be simplified. It's causing way more confusion than it's solving!

I'm dealing with a very similar situation and wanted to share what I learned from my tax preparer. The key insight is that the IRS matching system is designed to handle these overlapping forms - they expect to see both the 1099-K and 1099-NECs reported. Here's the approach my CPA recommended: Report all forms exactly as received, but on your Schedule C, only include your actual business income once. Most tax software will ask you to reconcile any discrepancies between the forms you've entered and your Schedule C totals. For your January 1st payment timing issue, I faced something similar. We decided to report the income in 2025 (when I actually received access to the funds) and attached a brief explanation to my return noting the PayPal 1099-K date discrepancy. My preparer said this is becoming increasingly common and the IRS has guidance for these situations. One tip that really helped me: I created a simple Excel sheet listing every payment, which form(s) reported it, and which year I'm claiming it as income. This made it much easier to explain everything clearly on my return and gave me confidence that I wasn't missing or double-counting anything.